This invention relates to a developing solution for a negative-type photosensitive composition.
As developing solutions, there have heretofore been used aqueous solutions of sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, sodium carbonate, sodium hydrogencarbonate, tetramethylammonium, trimethylethylolammonium (so-called choline), etc. In particular, aqueous solutions of tetramethylammonium and choline are used in the semiconductor industry because they contain no metal impurity such as sodium or potassium. These compositions are commercially available. The commercial compositions include, for example, RD-2000N DEVELOPER mfd. by Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd., NMD-3 mfd. by Tokyo Ohka Kogyo Co., Ltd., MF-312 mfd. by Shipley Co. Inc., TMK-12 mfd. by Kanto Chemical Co., Ltd., etc.
These developing solutions are excellent in ability to dissolve coating films, but they are disadvantageous in that when applied to a negative-type photosensitive resin, they dissolve photochemically cured portions, so that unless a larger light exposure is employed, the resin is not cured, resulting in low sensitivity.